Card Lores:Thundering Ripple, Genovious
Seal Dragons Unleashed He is a benevolent Captain who respects the individuality of his soldiers while advocating absolute justice. Being a famed strategist, he has utilized his extraordinary sagacity and charisma to resolve a multitude of crises. He perceives “justice” as doing the right things determined by selves, and he is ill-affected by the common sense of military to enforce ruthless actions. As a result, he is disliked by a portion of admirals and lieutenants, and he was assigned temporarily to a region with low survivability. Nevertheless, he controlled the region with minimum casualties, and his abilities were recognized by his colleagues. He asks his subordinates what justice is, but he does not require them to answer him. His objective of asking such question is to provide them a chance to think about justice again. In order to halt the brutality of the invaders, the “Roaring Ripple” enforces his own justice, with his loyal subordinates who wield the same thought and advocate the same justice. Web Short Novel Vol.1 (16-05-2015) Bonds of Ripples The view from the land. The beautiful and vast ocean of planet Cray soaks one's sight of view in blue. The ocean's horizon doesn't move an inch. The view, as if time itself had stopped... "Yay! This is the tenth! Three points ahead, Pavroth!" "Don't rush, Lapis! This is battle! Not a race!" ....was ruined by the roar of explosions and pillars of water. "The day that the petty officer protests someone's acting alone has come..." "Sotirio. It's fine to be impressed, but---" "---do not stop your feet on the battlefield. Of course I know, Odysseus." Now, this naval area had become a battlefield decorated not by blood drops but water drops, due to the navy "Aqua Force" and a fleet of the undead pirates, "Granblue". The navy was at an advantage. The disadvantaged pirates had half of their ships sunk and devoured in whirlpools. "We are at an advantage, it seems." "Yes. But that would depend on the enemies movements from now on..." "The situation is such that we could suppress them totally, though." "Captain. Negligence and arrogance are detestable illusions." "There is no problem if you could strain your nerves for whatever I let down. I'm counting on you, Miltiadis." There isn't huge difference between the number of both sides. But why is the battle so one-sided? Of course, the navy men are more skillful, but the biggest reason is the outstanding "tactician" on the navy's side. "Then...send some men from our troop to scout. Search for where the ambushing enemies are." "Yes, I shall choose men with pronounced scouting skills, like Leading Seaman Sotirio." Commander "Genovious", known as "the Thundering Ripple". He is the leader of this troop and one of the best tacticians of Aqua Force. The kind-hearted supporter of absolute justice is recognized and trusted by Admiral "Maelstrom". "I'm counting on you to choose the men. Depending on the report, I intend to give attack orders to the whole fleet. I'd like you to send messengers to the necessary men so that the formation can be mobilized at any time." "The enemies are disconcerted. There is little chance for them to notice the change of formation, and it's correct to say it's impossible for them to be alerted by our fine movement through messaging." The aide-de-camp put all his confidence into Genovious, and Genovious responded to it with a silent nod. Leaving his eyes from the prompt-working Miltiades, he glanced at the bridge's monitor to confirm the situation again. "If there's nothing, that's fine. But, if my reading is correct..." The scales of the battle was gradually tilting to one side. ---- On the pirates' side---in the captain's cabin on the huge ship at the raw center. A female pirate kicked open the ornate doors and entered the room. "Noir! The guys on the port side were wiped out! That's a pain!" "Is that so, is that so, responding to the call is no good. But that's a pain. That's... a lot of trouble." "Now's not the time to play calm..." "Pinot Noir", a captain of "Granblue", smiled as usual, even after hearing the anxious message from his first subordinate, "Pinot Blanc". However, He is not incompetent, of course. Blanc, feeling the sharp light in his eyes, drank her own words. Noir knew the situation of the battle would affect the sailors' morale, for sure. "I didn't expect that Aqua Force's activity zone had expanded so far...I guess I have no choice." Lifting his arms from the armrests, as he rose from the chair. "I'll go." The situation of the battle was about to change. ---- "My blade can't go through!?" "Not just slashes.... Sniping from my aqua rifle is also negated!" The ambushing enemies were few in numbers. Now, knowing the location of ambush and without fear of being assailed, they could now suppress the enemies---at least it should have gone that way. "Ahahaha, you guys are weak." "As expected from the Captain! Please beat 'em up!" "...and you all who lost to them are more pathetic...I'll deal with you all later..." "Ehhh-!?" Just like Captain "Nightmist", the grandmaster of "Granblue", Pinot Noir is one of the mightiest vampires, and a great pirate who treats a beautiful womans' flesh and blood as the greatest treasure of all. It was said that his victims had surpassed thousands. It is a common feature of Cray's vampires to turn the mana from a creatures' blood into their own power, and Pinot Noir was no exception. Yes, his body is always covered in several powerful magical barriers. "Fall back, Lapis! Your attack is ineffective on this guy!" "Quiet! How could I fall back without doing anything!" The powerful barriers allowed the vampire to walk under the shower of magical bullets unscathed, and render destruction from a single navy man's slashes impossible. To destroy his magical barriers, an extraordinary amount of force would be required. "Is that what you call a 'desperation attack?' It's not very beautiful." "Gwaargh-...!" "....Lapis!" "Oh, are you next?" Distracted by Lapis' heavy injuries, Pavroth was struck by Noir's sword. As Noir's sword was prepared to pierce Pavroth's core--- Gynn! ---the sword was stopped an inch from its target. By the greatsword of light hurled in between the two. Looking from the sword's projectile trail, Pavroth turned his head while Noir turned and gave a glimpse. "...I have a feeling that the true actor has come to the stage." In front of his eyes was Genovious, silent, but clearly expressing the anger on his face. Genovious eyed the heavily injured Lapis, the few dead seamen on the deck, and finally the explicitly anxious Pavroth, before returning his gaze at Noir once more. "I see you've been treating my subordinates well." "Oh it's nothing, that wasn't really any treatment at all." As Genovious stepped forward, Noir left Pavroth and made some distance from Genovious. Noir could sense that Genovious was an extraordinary opponent who could break his magical barriers. "You're a strong one. Would you happen to be one of the best fighters of Aqua Force?" "I am a mere tactician. Talking about only combat techniques, I'm not even one of the top five in the navy." "I see, I see..." "Don't underestimate us." Though Noir spoke as though joking, he was surprised. Genovious, releasing such pressure, was not a combat-specialized fighter, and couldn't even enter the top five in "Aqua Force". How much power had the navy restored while he was enjoying a riotous life? Imagining this almost made Noir break into a cold sweat. (But, there isn't anything threatening except this man...if I could find the chance to meet with Nightmist's fleet...) "And---" The rising of several water pillars around the ship stopped Noir's panicked thoughts. At the times just like these, Noir would say "how could you read what I was thinking", "The moment you showed up, the battle was over." The water pillars moved around Genovious as if drawing a circle, and undulated like a tornado. And as the tornado touched Genovious, it burst. Staring at this spectacle, Noir finally showed awe and anxiety on his face. It was because a threat, more powerful than Genovious, had appeared. ""Commander Podromos, captain of Troop 'Genovious', the Ninth Counter Sea Invasion Troop, is here!"" "It seems you've led a licentious carefree life for too long, young pirate noble. This is Stride, the new power to achieve justice!" The remaining, countless tornadoes began to circle atop Prodromos. The tornadoes twisted together, as the light of stride brightened as more lines were drawn. When the radiance reached its apex, a huge gun muzzle appeared from the finished summoning circle. "If you had stayed at the back, you could have escaped with your accomplices, and urged your subordinates to fall back. But now, it's too late." "...! Blanc, Gris! Run---" Sensing the perception of destruction like electric currents running through his body, Noir turned back and called his underlings' names. As if to pursue Noir, who turned his back on his enemies without caring about the danger, two merciless order echoed on the sea. "The time of Judgment has come, Pinot Noir! With all those unrequited souls inside your body, return to the sea!" ""New Hydro Engine Full Burst! Heavy Mobile Ship, open all portholes!! Fire---!!"" ---- 　Peace returned to the seas. More than ninety percent of Pinot Noir's fleet had been destroyed, and Pinot Noir was missing. Even if he was not destroyed, he would need a lot of time to replenish his forces. The members of the subjugating troop returned to their daily lives of resting and training, starting with those who had been healed. "Urgh, that Lapis...only doing reckless things." Pavroth, seeing Lapis snoring and sleeping in the hospital, muttered, "A certain petty officer got mad in the midst of it, so you are in no position to criticize." "Geh..." Sotirio responded to him with a sharp yet on the mark analysis. "...my apologies. Concerning this, I'm also liable." Behind Pavroth who was bating his breath, a young man stood while leaning on the wall. Sotirio showed an anxious face, something he rarely does, as he caused collateral damage while intending to poke fun at Pavroth. "N, no...it's not Mr. Orest's fault. It's just the petty officers who went there. " "Intending to maximize his performance, I taught him swordsmanship which drove him to pop out, that's the fault of a swordsmanship mentor. When he awakens, I will teach him a severe lesson. " "Please do this. I would also remonstrate the petty officer." "You...just in case, I'm your superior..." ---- Inside the mobile ship, the electronic sound to seek admission of entry echoed. Seeing "Alecs"'s face on the monitor, Genovious unlocked the door. "Excuse me." "Well Captain, I'll take my leave now." As Alecs entered and saluted, the leaving Miltiades returned a small salute. Seeing Miltiadis leave and the door locked once more, Alecs faced Genovious again. "I am reporting to you the completion of the hull bottoms' repair." "You've worked hard, Alecs." Many important devices related to hydro engines were installed on the hull bottoms of the older ships of "Aqua Force". Hydro engines have weak resistance against sudden impact considering the strength of the devices. Repairing the hull bottoms is dangerous work as any sudden shockwave may cause them to explode. The latest mobile ships do not have this problem, but all ships of the fleet cannot be renewed or replaced so easily. "As ordered, the repairing of parts other than the hull bottoms is continued by the maintenance corps and technician corps. They will report the situation regularly." "I see...many accidents happen when repairing the hull bottoms. Sorry for leaving all these jobs to you guys." Alecs and other seamen of the same generation share the same feature, that their bodies are produced from powerful aquaroids' cells, and their water content is extremely high, greater than 98.5%. Their dissolvable bodies are strong against impact and explosion. Genovious's determination, that they are given the tasks of repairing the hull bottoms of old ships to prevent unnecessary casualties, is reasonable. "Your words are our best reward. I'll take my leave now." Taking off his army cap and holding it under his arm, Alecs bowed deeply. Did Genovious notice, that Alecs smiled during the bow? ---- Several days later, many navy men rallied in the briefing room of Genovious's mobile ship. There was a large pirate fleet approaching---the defeat of Pinot Noir had enraged Nightmist, the leader of "Granblue". Responding to this mobilization, "Aqua Force" has deployed their elite troops, and their navy was well-prepared. "Everyone, listen to me." Looking at everyone's face, Genovious spoke on the stage. "The pirates have rallied all their forces to fight a war. This war would be the greatest battle we've met since the Invasion Great Wars of old. To fight a war of that size, unscathed, is impossible for both sides, no matter how many strategies are planned." Genovious, speaking solemnly moreso than any other time, caused the navy men to stir in their seats. The words from the veteran tactician laid out the scale of this war clearly. The navy men understood the heaviness of the upcoming incident more than actually seeing the enemies, in a few minutes. As if to stop the stirring, Genovious spoke out loudly more than usual, starting with a "However". "There is no way we will lose!" The navy men were speechless and focused again to look at Genovious. Those who had talked with the adjacent seamen, those who had been trembling, they were also waiting for Genovious's next words. Looking at everyone's face again, Genovious spoke in his usual tone. "Are we the same as when we were sealed?---No. We have many more elite troops amongst us now, like the Blue Wave Troop. In addition, the new troop lead by Vice Admiral Thavas. And... of course the Blue Storm Fleet lead by Admiral Maelstrom. With these superior forces, there is not even a possibility for us to lose." At this, Genovious spoke clearly that "there is no way we would lose". Hearing this, a portion of navy men had their spirit returned. "Are we the same as when we were obsessed by our old ambition, our mistaken justice, and tried to conquer all the lands of Cray? ---No. To seek our own justice and achieve it---we have become the guardians to protect the seas' order." Those who were only looking at the stage raised their heads to Genovious. The depressing atmosphere inside the room became brimming with heat. "My role, is to force you into the life-threatening battlefield." Continuing with an "And", "To maximize the chances for you to defeat your enemies and return to this ship alive." The voice was calm, heavy and deep. "For me, who is not allowed to stand on the frontline." Genovious looked around the room for the third time. "Please lend me your strength." The leader of the troop, and the captain known as the matchless tactician, lowered his head without hesitation. No voice, but a trivial sound of stirring. After a minute, Genovious raised his head, and saw it.... "...Thank you." The scene, of all his subordinates saluting in perfect order. He was a tactician, and it was not as though he couldn't predict this scene. "My greatest gratitude and respect to justice of you all." But at the moment he saw that scene, he felt something hot swelling and flowing within him. Without schemes, without calculations, his true thought leaked from his mouth without thinking. "I wish you all good luck. You all must make it home, return here safely!" ---- ......... .................. ........................... "Urgh...no no...this time, I really thought I would truly return to dust...." "Yeah, it's because you always play and try to act cool!" "Please don't get so angry like this, Blanc." ... "It's fine, everyone's all well~" "Gris! Shut up, you!" "Oh, soooo scaryyyyy~" ... "But really it is quite fortunate, as they don't know we can live just with our blood alone." "Staying in the seas as blood for too long isn't good, cause the skin would get sticky when restored~" ... "How long will it take, to regain my form?" "About two years, only for the body. But Gris and I will make arrangements for the blood, so you just behave yourself for a while." ... "That's a lot of work." "Well, you remaining in this form....make us troubled!" "Big sis is embarrassed~" "-I-I'll kill you!" "Heeee, so scaryyy~" Category:Lores